Good morning. There have been some very interesting sightings over the last couple of days so without any further ado, here we go:
Local birder Paul S walked along the riverbank and saw several water pipits. He also saw seven white fronted geese flying north over Joist Fen viewpoint, which is a good record for here.
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, Warden Katherine and volunteer Paul H did the monthly Wetland Birds Survey (WeBs). They saw a little grebe and four cranes. If you would like to see some lovely pictures of them, please see the ones that I posted online yesterday.
We did a harrier count in the afternoon on Sunday and I came in early to see what was showing itself from the Washland viewpoint. Highlights included an adult Caspian gull, six redshanks and an oystercatcher.
The scores on the doors for the harrier count were as follows (plus some other interesting records):
There were also at least two bitterns starting to boom which were lovely to hear.
On Monday, Suzanne saw a sparrowhawk over Brandon Fen, She also saw a curlew on the washland, which is the first record of this species on the reserve this year.
I came in early to listen for woodpeckers on Tuesday morning and definitely heard a green woodpecker calling loudly in Brandon Fen. Two sparrowhawks were hunting in Brandon Fen and a male tufted duck was feeding on the river.
As the day went on, four cranes were seen in flight from Joist Fen viewpoint. Suzanne and I saw a great white egret in flight over the washland.
A Muntjac deer was feeding alongside the entrance track as I drove in yesterday morning. A mistle thrush flew over the car park and a barn owl was perched up next to the den building area. As the day went on, a pair of red crested pochards were found at the far end of the reserve. Although they were beyond the far viewpoint, you may well see them in flight if you spend some time down there (or they may relocate of course!)
This morning, a marsh tit was singing in front of the visitor centre when I got here. Two cranes have also been seen feeding north of the river near Joist Fen viewpoint.
If you are planning to visit the reserve, please note that the riverbank Public Footpath is now rather muddy in places. You will need wellies to negotiate it at present. All of the other paths are fine.
We hope to see you soon!